Title

The flag, the poet, and the song : the story of the Star-Spangled Banner

Description

We all take our national anthem for granted. But it was not always so. In this book, New York Times reporter Irvin Molotsky tells the story behind the story and, in the process, reveals an important and little-known piece of our country's heritage. Molotsky brings both legendary and unknown events and figures to life - from the flag's seamstress to the military heroes of the War of 1812.He charts the events leading up to the war, and the far-reaching impact this obscure conflict has had on our national psyche. The Flag, the Poet, and the Song also uncovers the facts and fallacies surrounding the flag and the song, from the tremendous size of the flag to why we continue trying to sing our anthem to this day.--BOOK JACKET.

Identifier

960441

525946004

Creator

Molotsky, Irvin

Source

Brian Lamb Booknotes Collection

Gift of Brian Lamb, 2011.

Catalog record

Language

eng

Date

2001

Program air date: September 9, 2001

Publisher

Dutton

George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Text

Transcriptions of Annotations
Notes from front endpapers: "Why do so many Americans know so little about War of 1812? (p. 120). - 2nd War of Independence. - Who is Paul Zimmerman? - Mary Young Pickersgill, 1814 - high flag. - Francis Scott Key owned slaves. - 350,000 stitches in flag. - 34 years at Times; hometown Philly. - Could do without Star S.B. before every sporting event. - 1969: Jose Feliciano in Detroit World S.; 1990: Rosanne Barr - San D. - Paul Zimmerman has counted time of Star S. Banner - Pearl Bailey longest one of 2:28 min. - p. 5: Mary Young Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key, George Armistead, Major General Robert Ross: role they played in War of 1812, Baltimore - flag, song etc. - U.S. attacked by British - Chesapeake attacked by [?]; British seamen served on American ships. - July 24, 1811: Madison tells Congress we can't stand attacks on our sovereignty from British; declaration of war: House, June 4: 79 to 49; Senate, June 19: 19 to 13. - Federalists opposed. - British had 600 warships vs. 16; U.S. 18,000 soldiers on land, British and Canadian 7,000 on land. - 1812: only war U.S. attacked on our soil. - Attack on Canada led by U.S.'s 14 ships. - Canadians then ordered to retaliate in U.S. for burning of Toronto - unknown to Americans today. - Carl Benn - chief creator of City of Toronto Museum - Americans abuse history, p. 52." -- Notes from back endpapers: "Ch. 9: 1932: first time Star sung and flag raised. - 1916: W.W. ordered it played in WA; Hoover signed bill in 1931; high notes and low notes are hard for ordinary person to reach. - Patriotism only comes with war, p. 157. - Ch.5: Key's house in Georgetown pulled down for Key Bridge. - Key goes to General Ross to get Beans fired. - Mary Pickersgill: makes the flag with daughter and nieces; in 1810, 8 women, 1 man live in her house; she owned 3 slaves. - 350,000 stitches used to sew flag; 8 red, 7 white strips, 2 feet wide; 15 stars although there were 18 states. - 1818: law requiring star for each state; revert to 13 stripes for original colonies; 30 ft. high / 42 feet long: 1260 sq. ft.; 6 weeks to make it, July - Aug. 1813; paid $405.90 / today $3,400. - Betsey Rose - first American flag made in Philly. - British bombardment began in Balt. Sept. 13, 1814. - Storm flag also made by Mary P., 25 by 17 feet. - Key began to write on back of a letter, adopted March 3, 1931 as official anthem. - No flag at Key's funeral 1843 - never visited Ft. McHenry. - Smithsonian repair of flag - ready by 2002, $18 million. - Rob Byrd: Amendment on Flag Burning, against it. - National anthem adopted in 1931; God Bless America; America the Beautiful, Stars and Stripes Forever. - Jan. 1814: Ghent: talks went on for a year; Peace Treaty signed Dec. 24, 1814. - Jan. 8, 1815: British attacked New Orleans. - Jackson killed; 2057 British, 13 Americans died. - Ch.6. Land war - Baltimore - a hero's death - Gen. Robert Ross, shot dead by a sniper; a dozen Americans claimed honor of having killed him; big impact on British morale. - James McHenry - a federalist opponent of the war, Sec. of War under G.W. and J.A. - Sept. 14: British fired 1500 bombs and 700 rockets at Ft. McHenry - Major Geo. Armistead in charge; only 4 Americans killed. - Admiral Geo. Cockburn regarded Baltimore a failure - he was responsible for Napoleon on St. Helena." -- Annotations by Brian Lamb in the margins and underlining of pertinent phrases throughout the book. - Examples: p. 51: "It was clear that the British burned Washington in retaliation for the American burning of Toronto, but that cause is virtually unknown to Americans today." - p. 52: "...there is a strong propaganda quality to American history in the U.S. I don't think there's another western democracy that abuses its history to affirm a nation's 'goodness' as much as the United States does." - p. 154: "But worse than the music are the words of Key's poem." - p. 156: "Real patriotism must be as much concerned with peace as it is with war."

Subject

"Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843."

"Star-spangled banner (Song)"

"Baltimore, Battle of, Baltimore, Md., 1814."

"Flags--United States--History--19th century."

Relation

Original Booknotes interview

Rights

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